Suraya Sadeed, Founder and Executive Director
Donna Nichols, CPA, Chair
Aziz Qarghah
Jo Anne Nakagawa
Frances Connell
Mary Moore
Angela Velasquez
Asadullah Mojadidi, M.D.
Suraya Sadeed founded Help the Afghan Children in 1993 and serves as our Executive Director. Suraya has been a champion for Afghan children, a leading authority on the education and welfare of women and children in Afghanistan, and a pioneer in bringing innovative educational programs to Afghanistan. Her work has been recognized and honored at the highest levels of government in both Afghanistan and the United States, other organizations, and the media.
Donna Nichols is a Certified Public Accountant with more than 17 years of experience in governmental and non-profit accounting and has made significant contributions to Help the Afghan Children since joining our Board in March 2006. Donna earned her bachelor of science degree in Accounting from the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York and was also licensed as a CPA in New York. Donna became Board Chair in January 2007.
Aziz Qarghah has served on HTAC's Board since 2001. He is the Director of Afghan Health and Development Services (AHDS) since 1990, and NGO with 53 health facilities in Afghanistan. He worked extensively in planning, policy-making, and development not only for AHDS but also through an elected representative of the National Non Governmental Organizations (NGO) to Afghanistan Programming Body.
Jo Anne Nakagawa is Director of Clinical Projects at the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance in Silver Spring, Maryland. Her professional career includes clinical research at UCLA’s Division of Pediatric Neurology aimed at improving the quality of life for infants and children with uncontrolled epilepsy. Jo Anne is the creator of Help the Afghan Children’s “Read Afghanistan” storybooks that have helped improve literacy levels for children in our schools. Jo Anne joined our Board in January, 2007.
Frances Connell is Director, African Community Center, Ethiopian Community Development Council, Arlington, Virginia. She has over 20 years of experience in social and organizational development, strategic planning, and policy development in international affairs. Frances has advanced degrees in International Education Development and English Literature, is fluent in three languages (including conversational Dari – Afghan Farsi), and has taught at the University level. Frances is also a published author and in 2006, she authored Children of the Sun which recounted her experiences as a school teacher in a small Afghan village while a member of the Peace Corps.
Mary Moore is a journalist who has worked at the Los Angeles Times, National Public Radio and other news outlets as well as an associate producer of documentaries for television networks such as Discovery, E!, and MSNBC. A graduate of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, Mary has worked in Afghanistan and Pakistan, training Afghan women to become journalists and starting new media. She has also worked as a strategist for the Prime Minister of Croatia, helping to position the country for entry into the European Union.
Angela Velasquez joined our Board in June of 2008. Angela is a multicultural focused educator with a background in corporate project management and business development. She brings additional expertise in foreign language curriculum and instruction and holds a Masters of Education degree in that field from George Mason University.
Asadullah Mojadidi, M.D. is CEO and Chairman of the Jacksonville (Florida) Physicians for Afghan Medical Relief and has extensive experience working in traumatology and emergency medicine both in the United States and Afghanistan. Dr. Mojadidi founded the Urgent and Primary Care Clinic in Kabul, Afghanistan as a pilot for potential replication throughout the country. He joined our Board in 2009.